DENVER!! (part two)

Next stop after Mom and Bill's was Dad and Marge's new house.  They moved in on Wednesday and we showed up on Tuesday.  How's that for pressure (and good timing on our part to miss move day)  :)  I mean, I really wish we could have been there in time to help.  They were amazingly unpacked though.  Even the dress-up box was ready. 

 

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say there weren't any superhero outfits in there so Charlie was forced to settle with the ballerina outfit.  My excuse will dissolve though if there ever is a superhero costume available and he still chooses the ballerina. 

 

Anyway, after the dress up we wasted no time in getting to White Fence Farm.  This is a traditional stop each time we are in Denver.  It never disappoints.  We got there early so we played on the playground first:

 

Then fed the ducks:

Then fed the cows - well Ashley just looked at the cow.  She was a little freaked out by the size of the cow's tongue.

 

Charlie didn't seem to mind:

 

Or Abby.  Surprise, surprise:

As far back as I can tell, there have not been any pictures of the inside of the restaurant.  This has to be because anyone taking pictures of the food is not eating and other people would most certainly keep eating, so this would mean less food for the picture taker. (it's served family style)  I, for one, am not willing to sacrifice corn fritters or fried chicken for a mere picture of the inside, so you'll have to trust me that there is a restaurant part to the restaurant and the food is GOOD!

The next day (or so - time is irrelevant at this point) we made it out onto the boat.  This is always a hit with the kids - and us too.  :)  Charlie with the captain:

And Ashley:

 

And Abby:

We crossed the lake and then stopped to swim for a bit.  I'll put this picture first so everyone can believe that Charlie and I were the brave ones and got in first.  The water was not cold.  It's not cold, it's not cold.  If you repeat that enough you actually start to believe it. 

This picture is accurate though.  Ashley was officially the last one in, not by any small margin either.

 

After our swim, nice and warm in the boat. :)

 

Next stop - Estes Park!

DENVER! (part one)

We had been counting down to this trip all summer!  The kids & I had nearly 3 weeks there, Andy got 10 days.  We were excited to see Mom & Bill, Dad & Marge in their new house, and to spend a week in Estes Park.  And of course the plane rides.  :)  First stop, Grammie & Bill's.

Mom got some sort of modeling clay, and the kids went to town.  Charlie made this birdie (with Ashley's help) and it had several accidents and operations within it's first minutes of life.

 

Upon completion, it "fell" off of the deck (read - Ashley threw it) to the lower patio where it's head apparently fell off.  After a few moments of drama (on Charlie's part), it's head was successfully replaced:

 

 

The bird would go through several other surgeries replacing the head again, the nose and then correcting the head that was put on backwards.  At this time I cannot tell you where the bird is, my best guess is in a trashcan in Denver.  Sorry, Charlie.

 

This is Abby's turtle.  It has far less of a story that goes with it.

 

She also made a beautiful plate that she gave to Grammie which I'm sure is being displayed in their house somewhere.  We will look forward to seeing it again next time we go to their house!

 

We had the traditional semi-nightly feeding of the ducks.  Poor ducks were traumatized.  Charlie kept calling them mean when they came too close and would scream "don't feed the ones that are mean!" and then would chase them away.

 

We went to a Scottish Festival one day that was a HIT!  This is on the bus ride over there.  A highlight of the day:

 

The Scottish dancers:

The bag-pipers:

The slide Charlie went on over & over while the girls were getting their face painting done:

 

Abby with her princess face & Ashley with her flower arm.  She does not like the paint on her face.  She gets that from Andy. :)  Charlie with his blow-up ball that he won first thing when we got there and we had to walk around with it all day!  :)  :) 

 

Don't worry, the bottle Charlie is showing off is homemade root beer.  The rest of us are eating the kettle corn as fast as we can.  :)  They both were GOOD!!

 

Grammie also got these AMAZING (don't bring them to our house) glasses that you can wear when you are drinking.  Amazing.

 

We ALL had to try.  The kids were amazed. 

 

You brought this on yourself, Grammie.  :)

Yes, the kool-aid stained red.

Another field trip was to the park.  This seemed like a great outdoor activity.  We did not take into account that the kids were not used to the 90+ degree weather, and that some of our kids have a tendency towards drama.  Not naming any names. 

Ashley (not) dealing with the heat:

Charlie (not) thrilled to be at the park:

 

Abby drinking water!!  And repeating "I don't think it's hot" each time Ashley or Charlie would remind us how hot it was.

 

Later at the pool - mom and Charlie sunbathing.  Charlie is overly cautious in the sun.  :)

 

He did loosen up a bit and decided to explore the pool.  A huge step in bravery.

 

Ashley went off the diving board about 167 times.  I have all of the pictures and videos to prove it.  I'll just post one for sake of space.

Bill's contribution to the entertainment packed trip was a Charlie sized driver.  The kids had a blast with this and thought it was cool to have "the whole golf course all to ourselves!"  Poor suckers who pay all that money just to be able to play in the daytime.  :)

 

I was able to meet up with a high school classmate who I hadn't seen it years.  It was so great to catch up - like no time had passed at all!

The kids were instant friends.  Charlie fit right in with the girls.  :)

 

One last family pic out on the deck before taking off.

 

 

And that was only the first 5 days!! 

Tillamook

We made our annual trip to Tillamook.  We used to surprise the kids and just drive out there with them guessing the whole way where we were going.  Now as soon as we get on the freeway they know.  This year was particularly easy for them.  We got up at 8:30am in order to get there before they stop serving breakfast at 11.  Abby saw me come out of our room and said, "what are you doing up so early?"  Then Ashley saw me as I walked through the house and asked me the same thing.  It wouldn't have been so convicting if it was 6am or something, but when both kids are surprised to see me up before 9, I know I've been slacking.  Anyway, they figured out what we were up to and we made it with plenty of time to spare.

Watching the waffle cones being made:

Look at all that cheese!!!!

 

We made our usual stop at Rockaway beach:

This time we drove north to Seaside to get home.  This was at a scenic overlook.  Yes, we stopped.

 

At Seaside:

 

What is a trip to the beach without a stop at a candy store?  We scored and found this place that had over 3,000 kinds of candy - including chocolate dipped twinkies & bacon!  I cannot say that we tried either.  We did come out fully sugared though.

Family tri

Last year Ashley & I did the family tri right before I went to Denver to race in my first "real" triathlon. This year Andy and the girls did it - also right before we went to Denver - but I was on the sidelines with Charlie.  Andy & the girls biked over early for the registration and Charlie and I walked over.  Charlie's life was the easiest - he got to ride to the event with his hot chocolate and cereal.  Rough life. 

 

On the way to T1:

 

T1: Not much hustle here.

 

Off on the bike:

 

Cheering on the family:

 

Coming back on the bike:

Off on the run:

Rounding the last bend!

And Ashley wins! (for the Stoughton crew anyway)

 

Tie for second:

 

Enjoying some post race replenishment:

 

The real participants:

 

Afterwards they had a festival with mobs of people creating long lines in 90 degree heat to play on row after row of inflatable play structures.  Is there a better way to spend an afternoon?!?!

 

No.